Archive for Liu Xiaobo

About two weeks ago, the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony took place in Norway. The award ceremony honored Liu Xiaobo, a human rights activist that has been jailed for many years by the Chinese government. Overall, the ceremony was well attended with 44 countries sending representatives to Norway. However, 19 countries declined the invitation. Obviously, China was one of the 19 countries that didn’t attend. Who else didn’t attend you ask? Surprise, surprise, Vietnam is one of them.

I wouldn’t exactly say that Vietnam was pressured by China to not attend the ceremony. Both countries are Communist, so it’s a given that neither country would show up at a convention in promotion of freedom and human rights. Other countries who didn’t attend are Afghanistan, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sudan, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Venezuela. There are many possible reasons why these countries didn’t attend, but the biggest reason for most would have to be economic pressure exerted on them by the Chinese government.

This might be old news to some of you, as the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony took place in Oslo, Norway about two weeks ago. I would just like to give my spin on the story and acknowledge the courage that Liu Xiaobo has shown during his incarceration. It doesn’t matter where you are from, Vietnam, China, Burma, wherever. We are all fighting for the same goal: freedom and democracy for our nations, and the greater picture of peace on Earth. For that reason, I would like to send my regards to Liu Xiaobo and every other freedom fighter everywhere. English political theorist Edmund Burke once said that “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” That is the reason we fight and that is why we will win.